Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/214275
End game On Saturday, Penn State will bid farewell to a class of loyal seniors M AT T H E R B There surely will never be another senior day at Beaver Stadium like last year's. The players to whom Penn State said goodbye that cold November day had been instrumental in leading the Nittany Lions through a series of unprecedented challenges. Players wore Michael Mauti's jersey number – 42 – on their helmets a week after the All-America linebacker suffered a season-ending knee injury. Penn State added the year 2012 to the stadium's eastern façade alongside the championship seasons and unbeaten campaigns and then went on to defeat Wisconsin, the Big Ten's eventual Rose Bowl representative, after rallying to send the game to overtime. Farewells | MATT@BLUEWHITEONLINE.COM don't get much more melodramatic than that. But last year's seniors weren't the only ones who made a commitment to Penn State. So, too, did the juniors. While a few notable players left when the NCAA lifted its transfer restrictions after handing down an array of harsh sanctions in July 2012, the vast majority opted to complete their careers with the Nittany Lions. Those players are now seniors, and Penn State will salute them on Saturday before its game against Nebraska. Coach Bill O'Brien is looking to ensure that they receive a fitting sendoff. "This is a very important game for many reasons, but probably the most im- portant reason for our coaching staff and myself personally is that it's the last home game for these seniors," O'Brien said. "We're putting everything we can into practice and making sure that we do as good a job as we can to help these seniors go out on a winning note. We know it's a very, very tough opponent. Nebraska's a very, very good team, and it's going to be a big challenge. "But we just can't wait to come into Beaver Stadium, and hopefully it will be a great crowd. I'm not in charge of ticket sales, but I would imagine that the Penn State fans will turn out in force to show their respect for this senior class that stuck with this university and stuck with CENTER OF ATTENTION Howle, a starter in all 10 games this season, is one of 17 seniors who will be honored before the Nebraska game. "What I'm going to remember a lot is all the time I spent in the locker room and in the building with all my teammates," Howle said. "That's going to be something that I cherish moving forward." Bill Anderson N O V E M B E R 2 0 , 2 0 1 3 11 B LUE WH I T E ON L I N E. COM